What is hygge?
Hygge (pronunciation: hoo-guh) may be something you’ve never heard of. If you’re searching for a hygge definition, look no further! According to Visit Denmark, hygge is a Danish term that roughly translates to ‘coziness.’ But this means more than just comfort. Hygge is all about creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere, as well as enjoying the small things in life with people you love.
Now that you have a basic idea of what hygge is, you might be wondering ‘how can I incorporate hygge into my life?’ Well, embracing hygge is often tied to making changes to the interior design of your home and how you feel about it. This ‘comfortable atmosphere’ usually means applying all the available changes to make your home as cozy and fun as possible, from relaxing lighting to pleasant colours.
To learn more about the joy of hygge and how to include hygge in your lifestyle, read on.
The relation between hygge decor and saving energy
The hygge lifestyle does more than just make your house more comfortable – it can also help you save energy. This is basically the best of both worlds: You will be living a more comfortable life while spending less on utilities. Here are some tips that will help you start saving energy through hygge.
1. Use hygge lighting
You might be wondering ‘what counts as hygge lighting?’ Hygge lighting is lighting that helps create a cozy atmosphere in your home. That doesn’t mean you have to go around lighting candles all over your place – you probably don’t want a fire hazard on your hands.
Luckily, you can re-create the atmosphere that candles give off with LED candles. You can also add atmosphere to your home by adding LED fairy lights to your home. LED lights can help you significantly cut down the amount of energy you’re using – according to Energy Saver, LED lights use 75% less energy than incandescent lighting.
2. Decorate your home with thick and soft fabrics (and lower your thermostat)
There’s nothing worse than stepping on an ice-cold floor first thing in the morning. Try decorating with super soft bathmats, thick drapes, throw blankets on your bed and couches as well as rugs on your hardwood floors. Also, installing thick drapes in front of your windows will help keep cold air out of your home, lessening how high you will need to turn up your thermostat.
Using extra blankets when you go to bed will help you feel more comfortable, as well as allow you to set your thermostat to lower temperatures at night when no one is walking around the house.
3. Update your old appliances
Nothing’s cozier than making yourself some hot chocolate after you’ve been outside in the cold. But before you turn on your stove or electric kettle, why not check that your kitchen appliances are energy-efficient first? Programs like Energy Star give appliances energy rating labels, which makes it easier for you to identify which devices are going to save the most energy and still make you more comfortable at home.
4. Decorate your home with plants
Decorating your home with plants can really help set the mood, but did you know that plants can help keep your home feeling a little warmer in the winter? Moist air tends to hold heat better and plants release moisture into the air via transpiration (moist air evaporating off plant leaves). By placing plants around your house, you’ll be humidifying the air and reduce the temperature your thermostat needs to be set at to keep your home warm.
How Canadians can practice hygge and save energy?
One way to get your winter hygge on is to improve the insulation in your home to protect your home from extreme winter temperatures. Without proper insulation, warm air can escape your home more easily and your natural gas bills will go up from your furnace having to work harder to heat the air in your home.
Common places to check for air leaks and drafts include your doors, windows, attic and basement. Window insulation kits, as well as other forms of insulation, are commonly available at hardware stores for reasonable costs. By insulating your house properly, you’ll have lower energy bills and a cozy hygge home in no time.
If you’re looking to live the hygge lifestyle on a budget, you’ll be happy to know that this next tip costs pretty much nothing. What better way to get comfortable in your home than layering up? Winter in Canada can be quite harsh and cold – by bundling up in your favourite sweaters, socks and cardigans, you can give your furnace a bit of a break and save on energy usage at the same time.
Compare energy rates and go beyond hygge
Embracing a hygge lifestyle can be a good way to help cut energy costs in your home, but did you know that comparing energy rates is an even more effective method of lowering your energy bills? EnergyRates.ca can help you compare electricity and natural gas rates based on your location in Canada.
EnergyRates.ca is unbiased, free and easy to use – all you need to do is fill in your postal code in the form above and you’ll be able to see the best energy rates available in your area. Best of all, both residential and commercial consumers can use EnergyRates.ca to find the cheapest energy prices based on your location. Business, commercial, large commercial and industrial energy consumers can get a free custom quote based on their energy consumption and energy needs.
EnergyRates.ca can be used to compare energy rates in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Québec.
